Pali Highway repair and rockfall mitigation work to continue until August

Repair and rockfall mitigation work on Pali Highway will continue until August, meaning continued traffic disruptions to Windward Oahu commuters, state Department of Transportation officials said today.

To reduce the rockfall risk, the department has devised a twofold plan:

>> Crews will install an attenuator system, or mesh barrier, between Old Pali Road and Pali Highway “to serve as a catchment for material falling from the slope above.”

>> The entrance to the Honolulu-bound tunnel will be extended about 80 feet to protect motorists and the highway from rocks or other debris that make it past the mesh barrier.

This work is expected to take until August, weather permitting, according to state Highways Division Deputy Director Ed Sniffen. The upside is that planned work repaving the town-bound side of Pali Highway is also expected to be completed in August, as well, ahead of schedule.

Heavy rain led to rockfalls last month that closed the highway for days and led to the contra-flowing of Pali traffic during rush hours. State officials also found significant damage to portions of Old Pali Road, which had shifted and posed additional risk to the highway.

The rockfalls also damaged electrical conduits that light the Pali Tunnels, which will remain off for at least another week.

“Significant concern is for the town-bound side,” said Sniffen, adding that a stress fracture was detected on the upper slope on that side of the highway.

As work continues, the public is urged to avoid trails in the area, including Likeke Falls Hike between the Pali Lookout and the Koolau Golf Course. The Pali Lookout will also remain closed.

For the next month, access to Pali Highway will continue as follows:

>> Honolulu-bound morning contra-flow: Two lanes of Honolulu-bound traffic are available 5 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.

>> Kailua/Kaneohe-bound lanes evening commute: Access to the Kailua/Kaneohe-bound lanes of Pali Highway are available 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

While state officials did consider extending those access hours, Sniffen said the state decided to keep them as they are now to provide crews with more time to make necessary repairs. Crews will also be working concurrently on paving the Honolulu-bound lanes of Pali Highway between Castle Junction (at Kamehameha Highway) and Waokanaka Street by August, as well.

“Once the most urgent slope stabilization and debris removal is completed, a weekend access schedule will be implemented,” officials said.